ELLE Simplifies: Your Eating Habits

Let's be real: Sometimes "life hacks" are only good in theory. (Yes, rigging a system of binder clips and plastic bread ties will organize my computer cables, but who has the time for that?) So, in celebration of National Simplify Your Life Week, we asked dozens of experts on everything from finances to skincare for advice on how we can really, actually make things easier. In today's edition, we tackle eating habits.

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Proper nutrition is incredibly important, but it can feel incredibly daunting to achieve. With hundreds of different options on the grocery shelf and on Seamless, we're overwhelmed with options—and then we're overwhelmed with opposing information about them, too. One day something's amazing for us, the next, condemned to fat-inducing food hell. It's enough to give us dietary whiplash. But, like we've been saying all week, sometimes the best thing to do when trying to master an area of your life is get back to basics. With that in mind, we've culled some nutrition tips that do not require drinking apple cider vinegar every morning a half hour before breakfast or aggressively tracking macronutrients in an only-convenient-in-theory app.

STEP 1: FILL A QUARTER OF YOUR PLATE WITH LEAN PROTEIN…

It's easy to get religious about logging every bite you take and counting every calorie (a MyFitnessPal addiction can be nearly as strong as a chocolate addiction), but there are simpler approaches to eating the right foods. Nutritionist Keri Gans' number one rule: "Our meals need to be balanced," she says. Employ a quarter-quarter-half approach in your meal planning. "On your dinner plate, a quarter should be protein, like fish or poultry. I'm not opposed to red meat—it's all about portion size."

STEP 2: FILL ANOTHER QUARTER WITH WHOLE GRAINS…

Another 25 percent of the plate should be whole grain, like a half-cup of brown rice or quinoa, or a small sweet potato, says Gans. "Again, it's all about portion size," she says. Ruling entire food groups out, like grains, can be a tough plan to keep up with, so make it easier on yourself by just controlling how much you put on your plate. If you're a carboholic (guilty as charged), keep in mind another one of Gans' big tips: "If it looks like it's too much, it is."

STEP 3: AND FILL HALF OF YOUR PLATE WITH VEGETABLES

The other half of your plate should be good old-fashioned veggies. You can take this plate-dividing formula wherever you go—even when you're ordering from your favorite takeout place. "Instead of weighing or measuring, it's learning how to eyeball it by using your own plate," says Gans.

STEP 4: TAKE DIET IMPROVEMENTS ONE STEP AT A TIME

If you're aiming for a total diet overhaul, don't try to do it all at once. "Instead of trying to revamp your entire diet, focus on individual components day by day. First, fine-tune what you eat for breakfast. Then focus on your lunch meal, so on and so forth. Look at it in steps," says Gans.

STEP 5: CHANGE YOUR HEALTHY EATING MINDSET

Changing the way you think about food can be one of the biggest catalysts for success. So instead of saying you should eat less of something (like sugar or refined carbohydrates), focus on what you should eat more of (like green vegetables and lean protein), says Gans.

STEP 6: KEEP YOUR FRIDGE STOCKED

While this is by no means a groundbreaking tip, it's so important to make sure you have fruit and vegetables in your fridge—it's amazing how much more likely you are to eat them if they're on hand. A few other staples in Gans' kitchen: 100 percent whole grain bread for sandwiches, eggs for veggie-laden egg white omelets, and hummus for snacking on.

With the right foods at your fingertips and knowledge of how much of each you should be eating—roughly—you'll be able to restart your nutrition plan without going crazy paying attention to detail.